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Howling, The
| running time = 91 min. | country = USA | language = English | budget = $1,000,000 | gross revenue = $17,986,000 | preceded by = | followed by = Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf }} The Howling is an American werewolf movie released in 1981 and directed by Joe Dante. Along with John Landis' 1981 horror/comedy, An American Werewolf in London, the Howling is known for revolutionizing the werewolf genre for modern audiences. With this film, producers evolved the look of the werewolf beyond that of the furry gloves and latex masks used in earlier films. Dante's werewolves were more animalistic in appearance, with longer ears, extended snouts and canine fangs. The Howling was also known for its tongue-in-cheek humor as well, with several key characters who are named after famous genre directors. The plot centers around California news broadcaster and investigative journalist Karen White and her involvement in tracking down a noted serial killer known only as Eddie. A stark encounter seemingly ends with Eddie's death, but Karen is traumatized by the incident. At the behest of psychiatrist Doctor George Waggner, Karen and her husband go to the Colony – a patient outreach community which secretly serves as a haven for werewolves. Karen learns the truth about her attacker and finds that he is not only still alive – but is also a werewolf. Plot Cast Notes & Trivia * The tagline for this film is "Imagine your worst fear a reality". * The Howling is the first film in a franchise that spawned six sequels. The following film in the series is The Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf. * This movie is loosely based on a 1977 novel by Gary Brandner. Ironically, it is actually the fourth installment in the film series, Howling IV: The Original Nightmare that is a more faithful adaptation of Brandner's novel. * Copyright Holder: © 1980 AVCO Embassy Pictures Corp. * Rated R for strong violence, language and nudity. * Film includes clips from the 1941 film The Wolf Man and the Three Little Pigs animated short by Disney. The antagonist of each feature is a werewolf. * A food product known as Wolf Brand Chili makes several appearances throughout the film. Sheriff Newfield is seen with an open can on his desk and another can appears in Marsha's cabin. * George Waggner is named after the director of the 1941 film The Wolf Man * Bill Neill is named after Roy William Neill, director of the 1943 film Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. * Charlie Barton is named after Charles Barton who directed Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein in 1948. Ironically, this film was the last theatrical appearance of all three classic Universal Monsters. * Erle Kenton is named after Erle C. Kenton who directed 1945's House of Dracula. The film featured John Carradine in the role of Dracula. Carradine also played the role of Erle Kenton in The Howling. * Fred Francis is named after Freddie Francis who directed Legend of the Werewolf in 1975. * Lew Landers was named after the director of the 1944 film Return of the Vampire. * Sam Newfield (played by Slim Pickens) is named after the man who directed the The Mad Monster. This film was the third feature to be lampooned on Mystery Science Theater 3000. * Terry Fisher is named after Terence Fisher, director of many 1960's Hammer Horror films including 1960's Curse of the Werewolf. * In keeping with the numerous wolf-based puns, a copy of Howl, a collection of poems by Allen Ginsberg appears in this movie. * Science fiction aficionado, Forrest J. Ackerman, makes a cameo appearance in Walter Paisley's book store. He is seen holding several copies of Famous Monsters of Filmland. Ackerman was the editor and principal writer for this magazine. * Screen writer John Sayles plays the part of the morgue attendant. * Famous b-rated horror film director Roger Corman also makes a cameo appearance. He is the man standing outside the telephone booth in the beginning of the film when Karen talks to Eddie. * Director Joe Dante re-used several actors for his 1984 horror/comedy, Gremlins. Dick Miller, Jim McKrell and Belinda Balaski all made appearances in both films. Robert Picardo, who played the role of Eddie Quist in The Howling also appeared in the sequel to Gremlins called Gremlins II: The New Batch (also directed by Dante). Ironically, the sequel to Gremlins also starred Christopher Lee, who likewise appeared in the sequel to The Howling called The Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf where he played a werewolf hunter named Stefan Crosscoe. Dante however, was not connected to this movie. See also External Links * * * The Howling at Wikipedia * * Keywords Bondage | California | Claws | Dead animals | Dogs | Female frontal nudity | Female rear nudity | Female topless nudity | Gunshot victims | Los Angeles | Los Angeles County | Male partial nudity | Nightmares | Primal instinct | Profanity | Rabbits | Regeneration | Reporter | Rifle | Self sacrifice | Serial killer | Severed hand | Shotgun | Silver bullet | Transformation | Werewolves